Golf meter



Feb 4, 1941.

c. w. BZCKERTON 2,230,282

GOLF METER Filed Jan 11, 1959 s SheetsSheet 1 INVENTOR 2am yfwam ATTORNEY Feb. 4, 1941- ca. w. BICKERTON GOLF METER Filed Jan. 11, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 R v in N E.

INVE NTOR #M ATTORNEY Feb. 4,' 1941- a; w. BXCKRTON GOLF METER 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 11, 1959 k w x w a INVENTOR Mamm I ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 4, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIE 6 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in a golf stroke indicating apparatus and pertains more particularly to improvements in apparatus of the type disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 1,967,076 granted on July 17, 1934, and wherein a captive ball similar in character to a standard golf ball is arranged to be projected into flight when struck by a golf club and associated with a mechanism adapted to give an accurate indication of the travel of the ball, irrespective of the manner of contact of the club head insofar as distance and angle of flight of the ball is concerned.

An object of this invention is to improve the operating characteristics of a measuring instrument of this character, and particularly its sensitivity, durability, and accuracy.

An outstanding feature of the invention resides in the ability of the equipment so provided to indicate the deviation in flight of the ball from a line passing through the ball and an imaginary point toward which the ball should be aimed. A further feature of the invention is incorporated in the means and manner that the ball is secured to the flight recording mechanism.

These and various other objects, as well as the various other novel features and advantages of the invention, will be fully apparent when the following detailed description is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, of which Fig. 1 is a perspective view taken from an angle looking at the top of a golf meter constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 a top plane view of the same with the top cover, comprising a miniature fairway removed, and showing the operating parts in detail; Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing the parts of the moving devicewhen the ball is at the end of its projection; Fig. 4 another view similar to Fig. 2; showing the parts of the device in the position they assume when indicating the flight of the ball; Fig. 5 a side elevational view of the device with its side casing removed; Fig. 6 a sectional view taken on the line VI-VI of Fig. 2; and Fig. '7 a detailed view, partly in section, of the captive ball and the cable to which it is secured.

Referring in detail to the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, the numeral I designates a housing or casing within which the moving parts of the meter are supported. In the top of this casing and adjacent one of the longer sides, there is provided a narrow elongate opening 2 beneath which a plate 3 is secured that is decorated to simulate the tee, fairway, rough,

cable 2I.

and green of a golf hole and to function as the recording face of the meter.

Adjacent the side of the housing I opposite the fairway 3 and at one end thereof, a bracket 4 is provided to support a captive ball 5 that is used as the object, the flight of which is to be measured or indicated. This ball as near as possible is made of the same size and weight as a standard golf ball, but for convenience and durability it is provided with an integral boss 6 which functions as a tee to support it in a position to be readily engaged by the head of a golf club.

Through the bottom of .the boss 6 on the captive ball 5 there is attached a cable I which normally extends through an axial slot in the bracket 4 and into the housing through a slot 8 in its front wall. This latter slot is made elongate in shape and extended transversely of the housing so that the cable I can move laterally therein, in the event the ball 5 is driven from the tee at an angle instead of parallel with the centerline of the housing. From the slot 8 in the end of the housing the cable '9 is extended on a straight line between two sets of spaced upwardly projecting guides 9 and I I provided on a pivoted element I2, a throat I3 secured to a support I4, a hollow anvil block I5 normally engaging a stop I6 and mounted for guided movement on a pair of parallel guides I'I secured to the throat support I4 and the axial stop It, and connected by a releasable connector IS and a swivel I9 to a second This latter cable is extended around a pulley 22 and connected to a coil spring 23 which is in turn connected to a support 24.

In order to relieve the cables I and M from grief due to shock when the captive ball is hit, the pulley 22 is mounted in a bracket 25 that is in turn mounted for movement on a guide rod 26 secured between a pair of anchors 2'! and. 2B and this bracket yieldably biased toward its retracted position by a lever 29 which is secured by a pivot 3| to the frame of the housing and has connected between it and the housing a coil spring 32 so disposed as to compensate for variance in the position of the lever 29, the latter being extended through a slot 33 in the pulley bracket 25.

Slightly forward of the anvil block I5 and below the fairway 3 a pivot shaft 34 is secured to the housing I and to this there is rotatably secured a lever 35 which is positioned with its free end normally engaging the upper edge of the front face of the anvil block so that it will be moved toward the front of the machine when the anvil block is moved in that direction. This movement of the anvil block is caused by the connector I8 on the cable 'I striking it when the captive ball is driven off the tee, the connector I8 being adapted to move into an opening 37 in the anvil block, strike the latter, and carry it forward as the cable moves outward.

For normally holding the lever 35 against the anvil block and returning it thereto after it has been driven outward, a coil or other suitable spring 38 is employed. This spring is connected at one end by a connector 39 and an arm 4| to the lever 35. At its other end it is connected to one end of a lever 42 that is pivoted at 43 between its ends to the housing and has its opposite end connected to a connecting rod .44 that is in turn connected to one arm 45 of a bell crank 46 mounted on the operating'shaft 41 of acne-way fluid brake 48. The other arm 49 of theybrake operating bell crank 46 is connected by a rod 5| to the outer end of the arm 4| which carries a roller 52 which is disposed to travel on acurved guide or cam 53 mounted on the housing I.

The levers 35 and 42 and the rods 4| and 5|, as well as the pivot 43 and the cam 53, are: so designed, and the strength of the spring 38 is so proportioned that the movement of the lever 35, due to impact therewith of the anvil I5, will be directly proportional to the normal distance of travel of the ball 5 when hit by'a'golf club. To permit this result the brake 48 is designed so that it will not interfere with the outward movement of the lever 35, but will control its return movement by the spring 38. 7

Also mounted for rotary movement on tile pivot shaft 34 carrying the anvil operated lever 35 is a substantially V-shaped element 54 which is employed to actuate a pivoted drum 55 about which a recording cable 56 is wound. This cable is wound several times around the drum 55, thence around a horizontal pulley 51 to a vertical pulley 58 mounted on a rod 59 up over and along the top of the fairway 3, to a second vertical pulley GI on a second rod 62, from which it is passed back around a second horizontal pulley 63 to the drum On this recordingcable 55- there is mounted a dummy ball 64 that is normally retained in a position directly above the tee at the end of the fairway 3. Consequently as the drum 55 is rotated in one direction, it carries the dummy ball 54 down the fairway 3 toward the green, and when oper ated in the opposite direction, it is returned to its original position. i i

The actuation of the drum 55 is accomplished as follows. A pinion 65 is secured to the drum 55 and meshed with an arc-shaped gear "face 65 forming on the inside of the lower endof; the V-shaped element 54, so that when the latter is rotated, it will rotate the drum. To rotate the drum a dog 61 is pivotally mounted on the lever 35 in a manner to engage teeth '68 on the outer face of the V-shaped element 54 whenthe lever 35 is moving rearwardly and to slide freely over the teeth 68 when th'elever 35 is moving forwardly. In this way the forward movement "of' the lever 35 is not encumbered by the Weight of the V-shaped element 54 and the rotation of the drum is controlled by the recoiling of the spring 38 and the brake 48. e

To return the V-shaped element to its normal position of rest, a spring 69 is connected between it and the housing I, and a stop II is mounted on the housing to bring the V-shaped element to sides in the mechanism provided for recording the deviation of the ball from its intended flight ocfairway depending upon the direction to which .latter' is pivotally supported on a shaft 95 and ment of the element I2.

rest when the dummy ball is in the desired position over the tee. The return of the V-shaped element 54, of course, cannot be accomplished until the dog 81 is released, and to accomplish this a trip I2 is employed. This is pivotally mounted q at the driving side of the housing and is equipped with an upwardly projecting arm I3 which is connected by a link I4 and cable I5 to the tail piece I6 of the dog 61. As will thus be appreciated, the dummy ball is in this way retained in its pro- 10 jected position until the trip I2 is operated, which is desirable since it affords the operator a better opportunity to study the flight of the ball.

An important feature of this improvement recasioned by a faulty blow of the club head and conventionally referred to as a hook or a slice. To accomplish this the inner ends of the recording cable supporting rods 53 and 82 are pivotally supported at their abutting ends on a pivot TI.

Thus by deflecting the outer ends of the rods 59 and 62 the recording cable 58 may be caused to throw the dummy ball 34 into the sides of the 25 these rods are actuated.

- For actuating these rods a pair of links I8 and 19 is pivotally connected to their mid sections and to a lever or rod BI which is pivotally connected 30 at one end by a pivot 82 to the meter frame. This rod in turn has a rod 83 connected to it which is provided with a trunnion 84 on its free end that is fitted in a curved slot provided for its reception in a guide beam 85. The latter beam is pivotally supported at its center in a sup- 35 port 86 and normally urged to rotate in a counter clockwise direction by a coil spring 81 connected between it and its support 86. To hold it, however, in its initial position a latch member 88 is employed, which is pivoted to the frame and backed up by a compression spring 89 disposed betweenit and a post 9|, the spring normally holding it against the end of the beam and a lug 92 on the latch 88 engaging the under side of the beam to prevent its rotation.

, For moving the rod 83 in accordance with the departure of the captive ball from its intended flight, a rod 93 is connected between it and an arm 94 formed on the guide element I2. This yieldably urged toward a position parallel with thetside of the housing I by a pair of springs 96 'and 91 that are connected at one'end by pins 98 and 99 to the housing and have their free endsygg resting against stops IIII and I02,

v maintaining them adJacent and in a position. to engagethe opposite sides of the element I2. The'stops IpI and I02, prevent the springs moving the element I2 over center, while the springs tend to return it 0 to center if it tends to depart therefrom.

When the ball 5 is knocked sideways, the cable I attached to it engages one or the other of the guides 9 on the outer end of the element I2 and causes theelement'IZ tomov'e it.' (See Figs. "35:65 and 4). This in turn causes the rod 83 tobe moved and its trunnion 84 to assume a position in the slot 80 of the guidebeam 85 proportioned insofar as movement is concerned to the move i 70 To hold the element I2 temporarily in a defiected position for a purpose which willpresently appear, arcuate shaped arms I93 and I04 are formedon the sides of the-outer end of the element' I2 and provided with teeth I05 andl06 on 7" the inner face thereof into which the ends of connected by the link I4 to the trip pedal I2 and latches I81 and I88 are adapted toengage. These latches are pivotally mounted on pivots I89 and III and have on them a pair of overlapping tail pieces H2 and H3 and a pair of outwardly pro- .50 that they will not interfere with the initial movement of the element I2.

With the guide beam 85 held in a position par- .allel with the captive ball cable I, the trunnion on the rod 83 is allowed to move freely in the slot 88 and under such circumstances the rod 83 does not efiect any movement in the rods 59 and 62. To bring about this movement a trip rod H8 is provided. This rod is mounted in guides H8 for endwise movement only and is equipped .at one end with a roller I2I which bears against the back of the lever 35 and has attached to its other end a spring I22 connected to the frame which normally urges it outwardly, but not with suflicient pull to overcome the tension of spring 38.

To the underside of this trip rod H8 there is affixed a lug I23 for tripping the lever or latch 88 which holds the guide beam in its normal :position and a cam I24 which is operative to engage the end of the beam 85 opposite the latch 88 and control the position of the latter for a limited period.

From the foregoing it will be seen that when the lever 35 is moved forward the spring I22 .will cause the rod H8 to follow it, and hence cause the lug I23 to. engage the upper end of the latch 88 and the cam I24 to engage the end of the beam 84 adjacent thereto, a notch I24a being provided in this cam for that purpose. The

cam I24 and the lug I23 on the rod H8 are so spaced, however, as to cause the cam I24 to enease the beam 85 just before the lug I23 releases the latch 88. Thus the beam 85 is held against rotation by the spring 81 until after the lever 35 has completed its full forward stroke and is returned far enough to pull'the cam I24 out of engagement with the beam 85, which it does in its back stroke and before the lug I23 permits the latch 88 to engage opposite ends of the beam.

At the instant the beam 85 is released by the cam I24, the beam is rotated by the spring 87 and in rotating causes the rod 83 to move up or down depending on which side of the pivot 86-11 the trunnion 84 may have been moved to by the element I2. This movement as will be appreciated causes the rods 59 and 62 to be moved in a corresponding direction. On the other hand, if the ball is not deflected from its normally intended flight and the element I2 is not as a result moved, the trunnion on the rod 83 will remain in line with the pivot 86a and no movement of rod 83 will result from rotation of the beam 85 when cam I24 releases, consequently permitting the dummy ball 64 to travel down the center of the fairway 3.

To reset the beam 85 a reset lever I25 is provided. This lever is pivotally secured to the support 24 and arranged so that its outer end will engage lugs I26 provided for that purpose on the end of beam 85. To operate the reset lever it is on it is an arm I2! to which the cable attached to the latch arm I I is connected. Consequently when the pedal I2 is pressed down, the following occurs simultaneously. The latch I81 or I88 is released, the dog 61 is released, and the beam 84 is reset. This permits the element I2 to return to normal position, as well as the V-shaped element 54, which in turn returns the dummy ball to the tee.

With reference to Fig. '7, the captive ball cable is preferably a twisted cable made out of two cables formed of gut or the like and superimposed one upon the other and twisted in opposite directions. cable which is best suited to withstand the twisting action imparted thereto by the ball 5 when a slice or a hook occurs.

The operation of this particular embodiment of the invention may be described briefly as follows. The meter is first set for operation by pressing down on the release or reset pedal I2, placing the machine in position for recording operation. When this is done, the captive ball may be driven from its tee in the conventional manner by striking it with a golf club. As the ball is projected from its tee, the cable I is moved outward. In this movement the element I2 is deflected if the flight of the ball is off line and .the connector element I8 is driven against the anvil block I5. This in turn engages the lever 35 and moves it forward a distance directly proportionate to the momentum imparted to the captive ball, such being brought about by the design of the means resisting the actuation of the lever 35.

With the movement of the element I2, if such occurs. the rod 83 is moved and its trunnion 84 slid along the slot 88 in the beam 85. At the same time the cam rod H8 is carried forward with the lever 35 by the spring I22, causing the lug I 23 to release the latch 88 and the cam I24 to engage the beam 85. The cable I also carries the pulley 22 forward against the spring 32 at this time.

When the element I2 reaches its farthest deflected position, one or the other of the latches I8! or I 88 engages it and holds it and the rod 83 in the position attained. When the lever 35 reaches its outermost position, the dog 61 engages the teeth 68 on the V-element 54. The lever 35 is then retracted by the spring 38, carrying with it the V-element 54 and the latch rod I I8 and the spring 32 returns the pulley 22 to its original position. The V-element in so moving drives the pinion 65 causing the drum 55 to rotate and the dummy ball cable 56 to project the dummy ball 64 down the fairway. As soon as the cam I24 on the back stroke of the rod H8 moves out of engagement with the end of the beam 84, the beam is rotated by the spring 8'1. Depending upon the position of the rod 83 which is at this time held by the latch I87 or I88, the rotation of the beam 84 causes the rods 59 and 62 to be deflected, throwing the cable 56 to the corresponding side of the fairway, registering the manner in which the captive ball is driven away from the normally intended path of flight. After these movements are all completed, no additional movement takes place until the reset pedal is operated, and then, as previously described, the machine automatical- 1y resets itself.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, I have explained the principle and mode of operation of the invention, and have illustrated The purpose of this is to provide a' and described the herein illustrated embodiment. However, I desire to have it understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

What is claimed is: i

1. In a golf meter, a captive ball, a cable attached to said ball, resilient means securing said cable to an anchor, a pulley disposed for movement in the plane of said cable and around which the cable is extended, a pivoted rod engaging said pulley, resilient means urging said pulley in a direction tending to retract said cable, a pivoted element provided with guides located in the path of the cable,. an object ball for indicating the travel of said captive ball, a cable for said object ball, a pair of pulleys over which said latter cable is extended, a rotary drum having said object ball cable attached to it, pivoted means supporting the pulleys for said object ball cable, means for rotating said drum, means actuated by said firstmentioned cable for actuating said drum rotating means, and means set in motion by said pivoted guide element for deflecting said object ball cable according to deflections imparted to the captive ball when hit.

2. In a golf meter according to claim 1, a pivoted lever having its free end disposed adjacent said captive ball cable, and comprising the means for imparting movement from said captive ball cable to said drum rotating means, means on said latter cable for engagin said lever, a gear element comprising said drum rotating means disposed to engage said drum and be operated in one direction by said lever, spring means for actuating said gear element in one direction, and brake means disposed to retard and control the operation of said spring means.

3. In a golf meter according to claim 1, a pivoted object ball deflecting element which is provided with an arcuate guide in it, a spring tending to rotate said element, latch means normally holding said element in predetermined position, a pivoted lever having its free end disposed adjacent said captive ball cable, means on said latter cable for imparting movement to said latter lever when the captive ball is driven, and means actuated by said cable-operated lever for releasing said element, and means engaging the arcuate guide in said element for moving the supports for said object ball .cable; pulleys when the captive ball cable in its outward travel moves said pivoted guide elements.

4. In a golf meter according to claim 1, a gear element comprising said drum rotating means which is disposed to engage said drum and operate it in opposite directions, a pivoted lever provided with means for engaging and operating said gear element in one direction, means on said captive ball cable for actuating said pivoted lever when the captive ball is driven outwardly, a'latch for connecting said lever to said gear element, spring means for returning said pivoted lever to its initial: position and also actuate said gear element, resilient means for operating said gear element in a direction opposite to that caused by said pivoted lever, and means for releasing the latch for said pivoted lever at the will of the operator.

5. In a golf meter according to claim 1, means for releasably holding said pivoted guide element for deflecting said object ball cable in a deflected position, means normally tending to maintain said guide element in a selected position, and means for releasing said' guide element at the will of the operator,

element comprising said drum rotating means which is disposed to engage and operate said drum, a pivoted lever releasably engaging said gear element, means on said captive ball cable for engaging and actuating said pivoted lever when said captive ball is driven outwardly, a retriever spring for returning said pivoted lever to its initial position, a rod connected between said pivoted leverand one end of said spring, means disposed to guide the movement of the end of said rod attached to said spring, a pivoted lever attached to the opposite end of said spring, connecting means including a one-way fluid brake connected between said latter lever and a connecting rod connected to the first mentioned end of said retriever spring.

GEORGE WILSON BICKERTON.

6. In a golf meter according to claim 1, a gear 

